Second Quarter 2013 - CREW San Francisco

The Quarterly Newsletter for Commercial Real Estate Women | San Francisco
TURNING THE CORNER
2nd Quarter 2013
The Tax Man Cometh: Implementation of
San Francisco Gross Receipts Tax
© 2013 Winnifred C. Ward & Elizabeth Leet Jackson, Downey Brand LLP
In the November 2012 election, San Francisco voters approved
a change in local taxes collected by the City of San Francisco.
Starting in 2014, San Francisco businesses will shift from paying
a city tax based solely on payroll to a city tax based on gross
receipts. This change is significant for commercial real estate
landlords and tenants in that the “Gross Receipts” tax (defined
below) is likely to significantly increase local taxes paid by commercial landlords, and those landlords may seek to recover the
increase from their tenants.
not limited to, amounts derived from sales, service, dealings in
property, interest, rent, royalties, dividends, licensing fees, other
fees, commissions and distributed amounts from other business
entities.”2 The tax is progressive, meaning the tax rate increases
with increasing income levels, as follows:
The current tax system provides for a payroll tax equal to 1.53%
of payroll costs. Businesses with under $250,000.00 in payroll
costs are exempt. Most commercial leases provide for a pass
through of employee taxes under the operating expenses provision pursuant to language such as “compensation (including
employment taxes and fringe benefits) for persons who perform
duties in connection with the management, operation, maintenance and repair of the Building.” Because the majority of
commercial real estate is owned by single-purpose entities with
no employees, generally no direct pass through of such expenses occurs (although such expenses may be indirectly passed
through as part of property management fees).
For example, in calendar year 2018, a 150,000 square foot
office building fully leased at an average total rent (i.e., base
rent plus operating expense and tax pass through expenses)
of $40.00 per square foot per year, the Gross Receipts tax3
would be $17,250.00 based on gross receipts of $6,000,000.00
(calculation: $5,000,000.00 x $2.85/$1,000.00, plus $1,000,000.00
x $3.00/$1,000.00). For a tenant leasing 6,000 square feet within
that building, the amount of the Gross Receipts tax passed
through to such tenant under its lease would be $690.00
(calculation: $17,250.00 x 4% (the tenant’s pro rata share)). If
The Gross Receipts tax will be phased in over a five-year period
commencing calendar year 20141. Under the Gross Receipts
tax, the City of San Francisco collects taxes on businesses based
upon the gross receipts of such businesses. The definition of the
Gross Receipts tax includes “the total amounts received or accrued by a person from whatever source derived, including, but
Gross Receipts (Annual)*
Base Tax Rate*
$0.00-$5,000,000.00
$2.85 per $1,000.00
$5,000,000.01 and greater
$3.00 per $1,000.00
(continued on page 3)
ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:
THE NEWS SFJAZZ CENTER {P2}
ALWAYS CONNECTED: ARE WE ON COMMUNICATIONS OVERLOAD? {P3}
SPOTLIGHT ON BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATIONS {P5}
CREW SF VOLUNTEER PARTY PHOTO FEATURE {P7}
POINT OF VIEW - THE MALE FACTOR {P9}
SFJAZZ Center
© 2013 Tara Delaney, Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company
The new SFJAZZ Center opened with great fanfare and a public
ribbon cutting on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January
21, 2013. Located at the corner of Franklin and Fell Streets in
San Francisco’s Hayes Valley, the SFJAZZ Center is the West
Coast’s first facility designed specifically for jazz, and the country’s first stand-alone building for jazz. The SFJAZZ Center was
designed by award-winning architect Mark Cavagnero, acoustician Sam Berkow, theater design consultant Len Auerbach,
structural engineers Forell-Elsesser, and MEP engineers WSP
Flack + Kurtz. Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company
served as general contractor.
Beginning with
the demolition
of the existing
auto body repair
shop buildings
on the site in
May 2011, construction had a
90-week duration. The threestory Center is
approximately
36,500 square
feet, with the
state-of-the-art
Robert N. Miner
Auditorium contained within a poured-in-place concrete structure. Incorporating a plenum for low-flow, under-floor air distribution, the seating risers were also formed and poured in place.
Acoustical treatment is applied directly to the concrete and hidden behind a wood-slat finish. A lightweight steel structure supported by pipe columns wraps the concrete box on two sides
and houses the remaining support functions. In addition to the
lobby, retail shop, and box office, the Center includes the multipurpose Joe Henderson Lab, the café South at SFJAZZ (featuring Charles Phan of the Slanted Door), rehearsal spaces, a digital
learning lab, and the SFJAZZ administrative offices.
According to Randall Kline, the founder and executive artistic
director of SFJAZZ, the goal for the SFJAZZ Center was to “truly be a home for jazz and a welcoming environment in which
to hear, learn and be inspired.” During the initial stages of the
project, Kline talked to many musicians about the venues they
loved and why. Cavagnero played an active part in the process,
bringing historical precedents into the conversation. The resulting geometry of the steeply raked auditorium allows musicians
to see the audience clearly and respond to the room accordingly, creating a sense of intimacy. The design team worked to
define a room shape and finish selection that provide both a
tonally balanced listening space for the SFJAZZ audience and a
comfortable and supportive stage for the performers. Because
flexibility of the building spaces was a primary concern for SFJAZZ, the auditorium seats from 350 to 700 depending upon
which of several different stage configurations are used.
Transparency was a driving force of the design throughout the
process, with the desire to integrate the organization into the
community. The lobbies and other public spaces are visible
from the street so that people walking or driving by get a sense
of “the energy and excitement of what’s going on inside,” according to Cavagnero. With two layers of acoustically isolated
glazing at the Northeast corner of the building, the 80-person
capacity Joe Henderson Lab is constructed so that distinct performances can be presented simultaneously in the Auditorium.
Serving as a small venue during the evening and as a daytime
rehearsal hall for the SFJAZZ Collective, SFJAZZ’s high school
band and community big band, the room highlights this transparency and enables the community to share in the performances.
Season One focuses on a first-of-its kind artistic director program designed to give individual director-musicians the opportunity to program, curate, and perform at the new SFJAZZ
Center. Members of the SFJAZZ premier artistic director lineup
include: pianist Jason Moran; violinist Regina Carter; guitarist
Bill Frisell; percussionist John Santos; and saxophonist Miguel
Zenón. The Season One catalog also includes performances
by the SFJAZZ Collective and the SFJAZZ High School AllStars, among others.
(continued on page 3)
2
(SFJAZZ continued from page 2)
(Tax Man Cometh continued from page 1)
SFJAZZ has been a vibrant and active contributor to the San
Francisco music scene since its inception as Jazz In The City
in the fall of 1983. Recently named the San Francisco Business
Times Cultural Real Estate Deal of the Year, the SFJAZZ Center
will allow SFJAZZ to efficiently integrate its mission under one
roof – presenting world class artists in concert throughout the
year, nurturing young musicians’ development, and promoting
music education through jazz outreach programs to Bay Area
students and adults. The facility will also enable SFJAZZ to further its goal to be a global leader in jazz music preservation
and innovation. The building campaign was initiated in 2008
with a $20 million donation from a Bay Area donor who wished
to remain unidentified; SFJAZZ has since raised more than 90
percent of the project’s $63 million total.
the tenant had a 2013 or earlier base year (because the Gross
Receipts tax would not have been included in its base year), the
tenant would pay 100% of the Gross Receipts tax.
Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company is honored to
have been part of the project team. Visit sfjazz.org to donate,
become a member, or purchase tickets..
About the Author
San Francisco native Tara Delaney is a Project Manager at Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company.
She was the Project Manager for the SFJAZZ Center
from preconstruction through completion.
Always Connected:
Are We On
Communications
Overload?
© 2013 Marcia Charney, Continental Title Company
Do you ever get that call from your client or customer requesting a response to an email which you haven’t even received
yet? The call that was made as soon as the client hit the
“send” button?
The general definition of “Real Estate Taxes” in most commercial leases can be interpreted to include the Gross Receipts
tax (e.g., “real property taxes and general, special or district
assessments or other governmental impositions, of whatever
kind, nature or origin, imposed on or by reason of the ownership or use of the Property”), although some tenants may argue
that the general language does not include such tax, or will
negotiate an exclusion for such tax. Landlords should review
their form leases to be sure the definition of Real Estate Taxes
includes the Gross Receipts tax. In negotiating a new lease (or
amending an existing lease), tenants should attempt to negotiate: a) an elimination of the Gross Receipts tax (unlikely); b) a
cap on the dollar amount passed through; or c) a reduction in
the management fee or a management fee cap (e.g., 3%) to account for the reduced management company fees due to the
change in the payroll tax4. For tenants under full service gross
leases (i.e., those including a base year for expenses and taxes),
the amount of the Gross Receipts tax included in their base
year will be $0.00 for base years 2013 or earlier, and will slowly
phase in for base years 2014 through 2018 (i.e., the five-year
phase-in period). The Gross Receipts tax will be fully included
as of January 1, 2019 (subject to adjustment based upon (a) increases or decreases in revenues for the subject property, and/
or (b) further changes to local taxation under the SF Code).
Landlord and tenants should consult with commercial real estate counsel to address the lease negotiation issues raised by
the new San Francisco Gross Receipts tax.
A summary of the law has been issued by the City and County of
San Francisco, Office of the Controller – Office of Economic Analysis, at the following website: http://sfgsa.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=8934, although the final rates are not as
shown in that document.
1
San Francisco Business and Tax Regulations Code “SF Code,”
Section 952.3(a).
2
Presuming the same is included in the definition of “Real Estate
Taxes”(see below).
3
In many ways, technology advancements have made our ability to communicate easier and quicker, but those same advances sometimes create unrealistic expectations about how
quickly and thoroughly we can respond.
With the use of email and mobile devices, we can all be kept
“in the loop,” but do we really want or need constant communications from or with everyone in our address book?
The increased use of technology has changed clients’ expectations regarding how fast they will get a response. CREW
Denver member Stacia Delaney, shareholder, Berenbaum
(continued on page 6)
If tax is shifting from a payroll tax (recoverable indirectly as part of
the management fee) to a Gross Receipts tax (recovered directly as
part of real estate taxes), management fees should be reduced to
reflect this change in tax structure (although many landlords will argue that cost is not significant enough to warrant such a decrease).
4
About the Authors
Elizabeth Leet Jackson is an Associate
at Downey Brand LLP. Winnifred Ward
is a Parter at Downey Brand LLP.
3
MEET THE
PROGRAMS TEAM
The CREW SF Programs Team meets monthly to plan and coordinate programs for CREW members and their
guests. Featured below are some of the roles and the members who fill them:
PROGRAMS TEAM LEAD
Lada Kocherovsky, Associate Principal, Page &
Turnbull Architects, a 40-year-old architecture and
historic preservation practice with offices in San
Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento. Lada has
been with Page & Turnbull for 16 years. As Team
Lead for the Programs Committee, she oversees
the operation and management of the group,
and guides the team in formulating its approach
to program development. Through the board liaison, Lada communicates with the board of directors regularly, providing feedback from the committee members and sharing new program ideas.
She loves the Programs Committee because of
its diverse team of talented women dedicated to
bringing informative, engaging, and fun programs
to chapter members and guests.
PROGRAMS CHAIR
Michelle Jones, Managing Principal for RIM Architects San Francisco, with offices in Alaska, Hawaii,
Guam and San Francisco. Michelle is currently the
CREW Programs Chair, following three years serving as Program Director for Leadership and Real
Estate and as Vice-Chair in 2012. Michelle interacts
extensively with the Team Leads of other CREW
committees and the Program Directors for Leadership, Real Estate and Networking in their efforts
to provide outstanding events for CREW membership. Working closely with the Program Directors
of each division of Programs (Real Estate, Networking, and Leadership) she mentors and assists the
teams with organizing and planning to ensure the
programs run smoothly.
PROGRAMS VICE CHAIR
AND LIAISON TO MEMBERSHIP
Kathryn Sturgis-Bright, Associate Director, Navigant Capital Advisors, has served on the Programs
Committee for a couple of years now. Last year, she
managed several programs including screening
an independent film, organizing a panel of REIT
executives for a CREW lunch program at City Club,
and setting up a CREW tour of Zynga. Kathryn’s
role involves constant contact with the other
team members, as everyone on the committee is
involved with working on an event. Emails from
other Programs’ team members require prompt
attention in the event a time sensitive decision is
needed. Kathryn explains that most of the leadership and organizational work falls on the Chair and
the Team Lead, but she observes and assists in that
work so that she can smoothly pick up the reins and
participate in leadership next year.
DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE PROGRAMS
Helene Sautou, Project Manager, Urban Solutions,
is the Director of Real Estate Programs for the year
2013. She has been actively involved with the Programs Committee for a couple of years, and served
briefly as a liaison with the Communications committee in 2012. In her current role, she helps Team
Lead Lada Kocherovsky and Chair Michelle Jones
define the topic for a variety of lunch panels and
tours, is the main point of contact with the speakers,
and, along with the designated Program Manager,
ensures that the logistics of the event are handled.
NETWORKING PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Debra R. Leifer, Director of Marketing & Business
Development, Page & Turnbull, has been a member
of CREW SF since 2007 and was actively involved
with the Membership Committee for five years. In
March 2012, Debra transitioned to the Programs
Committee to get involved with “something new”
so she could meet and work with other members.
Her role as Program Director of Networking is to ensure that the Programs designated as “networking”
events are both fun and rewarding.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
DIRECTOR
Molly Jans, Operations Manager, Paradigm General Contractors, has been working with the team
for over a year. She has been in her current role
of Leadership Development Program Director
since last fall, and an active CREW member since
2004. The Leadership Program Director works with
the Programs Committee to strategize, plan, and
implement quarterly leadership events. The first
event of the year was the January luncheon with
the author of The Male Factor, Shaunti Feldhahn.
The April, August, and October events will be
boxed lunch seminars with real estate and personal
leadership growth topics/learning opportunities.
4
The Delegates
Corner
A few months ago, I was preparing
for a presentation with a client, a
nationally based real estate firm. In
reviewing the agenda, I found that
there were two women from the East
Coast offices whom I had not yet met.
Wanting to understand my audience
before the presentation, I accessed
the Internet to see what I could learn.
I looked on the client’s website and
found biographies, but I wanted to
gain more insight, so I visited CREWbiz, through CREW Network. Luckily
for me, both women were not only
CREW members, but they had also
completed CREWbiz profiles. I was
able to gain a little more insight into
these executives and connect with
them as fellow CREW members at the
meeting.
If you haven’t had the chance, I encourage you to take a look at CREWbiz. While it takes an initial investment of time to complete the profile,
it is well worth it. By having information completed, you make yourself instantly accessible to the entire CREW
Network of over 8,000 members.
My story is just one example of how
CREWbiz can benefit members. I regularly hear about people connecting
through CREWbiz, and CREW Network tells us that they regularly have
reports of CREWbiz benefiting business growth and development.
So when you have a few minutes,
head to www.crewnetwork.org, find
CREWbiz on the top navigation bar,
and make some new connections.
About the Author
Tara Hardesty has been a
business owner since 2005
and is currently the co-owner
of The Marketing Method
Group, a firm providing strategic marketing programs for real estate and
related companies in the Bay Area.
Spotlight on Board of Directors
Nominations
Have you ever wondered about the CREW SF Board of Directors nomination process?
When I joined CREW SF six and a half years ago, I didn’t have any idea of the Board
nomination process. I bet that most of our CREW SF members don’t know about the
process either. It shouldn’t feel like a mystery. So let me help you understand how
people get a position on the Board of Directors.
The Board nomination process is run by the Governance Committee, which is made
up of the current Past President, President, President-Elect and four at-large members.
During the first six months of the year, the Governance Committee talks to all the current board members, reviews the Succession Planning Analysis done by each Team, and
meets with people who have expressed interest in serving on the Board and those who
stand out as future leaders. In the early summer, they meet with the President-Elect to
learn more about her goals as President and to determine what strengths are needed to
help further those goals. The Governance Committee seeks to create a diverse Board
that is made up of leaders with skill sets that complement each other and help to further
CREW SF’s mission.
The nominating process is opened in July, and all CREW SF members should consider
nominating leaders or self-nominating. Nominating candidates for office is a valuable
service to CREW SF and thoughtful participation in this process is greatly appreciated. When the nominating process closes, all the nominees are asked to confirm that
they want to participate. All those who want to be candidates fill out applications and
must interview with the Governance Committee.
Why would someone want to serve on the Board of Directors? As a member of the
Board of Directors, you will experience opportunities to influence the future direction
of CREW SF and CREW Network, enhance your professional connections, increase
public exposure to you and your company, and develop leadership skills and experience that will benefit the chapter, your company, and you!
Every year there are more qualified candidates than open spots for Board positions.
If you are a candidate and don’t get selected to serve on the Board, don’t be discouraged. Find out from the Governance Committee why you weren’t chosen. The
Board’s needs are different every year and, while you might not be the perfect fit one
year, the next year may be different.
The best way to get noticed as a leader or future leader is to get involved and serve on
teams and committees. Serving on teams is not the only path to the Board, but it is a
great way to learn about the organization, make strong relationships, and strengthen
your leadership skills. This service was my path to the Board. I started as a committee
member on the Communications Team. Then, I became the Communications Team
Lead. Next, I served on the Board as a Director, President-Elect, President, and Past
President. I am no longer on the Board, but it was a wonderful rewarding experience.
If you have any interest in serving on the Board, I encourage you to reach out to the
current Board of Directors and the Governance Committee.
About the Author
Kim Havens is a project manager at Wilson Meany. Since 2006, her primary
focus has been on the redevelopment of the Bay Meadows racetrack in San
Mateo. Kim is a CREW SF Past President.
5
(Always Connected continued from page 2)
Weinshienk PC, has observed a trend among her clients who
believe that because emails are sent instantaneously, a response should be given instantaneously. She emphasized that
it is important to manage those expectations.
Managing clients’ expectations does not necessarily mean
that you must give an instant response or act instantly to an
email request. To assuage the client until she has an opportunity to fully consider the request, CREW Cleveland member
Laura Hengle, marketing communications manager with Bock
& Clark, makes it a practice to acknowledge receipt of emails
and let the client know that she appreciates their request. “A
prompt acknowledgment of receipt of an email request is
more appreciated than a long silence before responding to the
email,” said Hengle. This simple action lets the client know
that the request is important even if you are not yet in a position to act on the request. “Besides, the sender then has confirmation that the email was received, which confirmation you
used to get immediately when phone calls were the preferred
method of communication,” added Hengle.
Delaney often calls her clients after she receives an email to let
them know what she needs to do next in order to provide the
clients with a well thought-out response and how long it may take
her to respond. She added that it is not always in the best interest
of the client to provide an immediate response and risk a mistake.
CREW Houston member, Elizabeth York, general counsel with
The Johnson Development Corporation, tries to reply to emails
promptly with the inquiry of “when do you need a response?”
Based upon the answer, she can prioritize her work flow.
June Smith, owner-manager of Pangea Title Services, LLC and
CREW Atlanta member, reports that she tries to talk to the parties involved in the transaction before she starts sending them
emails in order to get a sense of with whom she is dealing.
“You can’t always tell how someone is receiving your email.
They might read into it a tone that I didn’t intend,” said Smith.
Emails “sometimes come across as more harsh than if you
talked to the person,” stated CREW Memphis member Sandy
Marshall, senior tax director, BDO USA, LLP.
Although we all communicate by email, the frequency of telephone or face-to-face contact may be dictated by the generation in which you fall. The more seasoned commercial real
estate professionals still prefer some voice or face-to-face contact rather than relying exclusively on email communications.
“I still try to pick up the phone as often as I can. I’ve noticed
that the younger people deal with everything by
sending emails. However, I don’t want to
lose the one-on-one touch. It’s important to have direct contact with your
client,” said Marshall. She believes
that sending emails back and forth
often is less efficient than just picking up the phone and discussing a matter.
“We miss the value of talking with each other. I worry about the
kids big time. With communications by Facebook postings,
email, and text messages, they don’t even talk with each other.
What happens when they go to fill out a job application and
can’t even write a full sentence?” asked Kathy Cunningham,
CREW Greater Akron member and property manager with Cascade Plaza Associates LLC.
CREW Network members fight the battle of being accessible
to their clients around the clock seven days a week. “We’ve
gotten where we feel guilty if we’re not staring at our BlackBerrys or iPhones 24/7. We never have down time anymore. I
have to force myself to put my phone away for an hour if I have
something to do in the evening,” said Cunningham.
Jan Fiola, senior real estate manager with Caribou Coffee
Company and CREW Chicago member, observed that although we can be reached at all times of the day or night, the
use of email communication allows us to expand our days and
make us more efficient. “I can still do work before I go to bed,
and this allows me some flexibility during the day,” said Fiola.
Marilyn Nix, senior vice president, Compass Commercial, LLC
and CREW Detroit member, agrees that technology provides
her with more flexibility to work on her own schedule and from
any location. Although so many of the communication tools
can be accessed remotely from almost anywhere, Nix contends
that the key to successfully managing this freedom is to discipline yourself to set aside your communication devices.
Minnesota CREW member Debra Barnes, associate vice president with HGA Architects & Engineers, reports that if her clients do not get an instant response to an email, they will call
her. If she doesn’t answer the phone, the clients send her a text
message. She said that her clients know how to reach her, but
that also gives her the flexibility to be away from her desk and
not miss important business communications.
Management of email involves strategy and work. York uses
follow up flags and sets reminders so that if she doesn’t receive
a response to an email she sent, she can follow up. When she
(continued on page 8
6
CREW SF Volunteer Party
1
On Wednesday, January 23rd, we hosted our first of what will
hopefully be an annual Volunteer Appreciation Event. We invited the 74 volunteers who were active during 2012, and 42 of
them attended the event at Osha Thai in Embarcadero 4. We
had a nice private room with a buffet of appetizers, a bar, and
Hawaiian dance as entertainment. Each present board member recognized the volunteers for their contributions and gave
an overview of CREW SF’s notable achievements during 2012.
1 Helen Duong, Boston Properties LP, Paul Vong, Osha Thai
Restaurant and Valerie Concello, Mohr Partners, Inc.
2 Jeanne Madden, Boston Properties LP
3 Delicious treats from Osha Thai Restaurant
4 Nancy Lundeen, Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis
LLP, Helen Duong, Boston Properties LP and Laura Scripture,
Broadmoor Partners, LLC
2
3
5 Jennique Mason, Cardiff Mason Development, Inc., Winnifred
Ward, Downey Brand LLP and Laureen Huntley, Veritas
Investments Inc.
6 Hawaiian dancer, Mariah Ordonio
7 More delicious treats from Osha Thai Restaurant
6
4
7
5
7
(Always Connected continued from page 6)
reads an email on a mobile device, she marks it as “unread” so
that she does not overlook the email when she returns to the
office and can act on it appropriately.
Marshall deals with her emails the first thing in the morning for
about an hour. She then checks them again at the end of the
day to see if there is any critical matter that must be dealt with
that day. However, not all CREW Network members can limit
their checking of email to specified times of the day. “I try to
react immediately as soon as I get an email,” said Fiola. She
acknowledges that this can be distracting and may make her
more unproductive. For instance, she said, being on a conference call and checking emails diverts attention from the conference call conversation.
Because we no longer use traditional letters very frequently,
emails often tend to be lengthy. If you want the main point of
your email read and you want action taken by the reader, put
that important information at the beginning of the email suggests KC CREW member Linda Laurence, senior vice president
with Missouri Bank. Laurence said that if the sender of an email
indicates in its subject line “please read,” “needs action” or includes some other indication of the urgency of the email, she is
much more likely to read the email promptly. In addition, using
the subject line to summarize the email may make it more likely
to be read and acted upon.
When you send an email to multiple parties, indicate what you
expect of each of the recipients (or indicate if no response is
requested from any of them). I often begin an email to multiple
parties by stating the following: “You are receiving this email
because...” If you want the recipient to take action, state that.
Summarize the action items. This may eliminate embarrassment and frustration for both the sender and recipient when no
action is taken because it was unclear that action was expected.
Be mindful of the information you include in an email – especially if that information is confidential. One CREW Network
member, an attorney, described an incident when a client of
hers forwarded to the other side an email she sent her client,
which outlined her recommended legal strategy, thereby forfeiting the attorney-client privilege.
Laurence cautioned the need to be more cognizant of fraudulent emails, the number of which is on the rise. Even though the
email appears to come from a known source, if the language of
the email does not sound like the language the sender normally would use or the sender makes an unusual request or
sends information about a change of bank account or address,
be wary. “A few years ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated to act on a
request sent by email, but now I’m much more careful because
of the prevalence of email fraud,” said Laurence.
Read your emails before you act on them, including before forwarding or replying to all. It may be appropriate to edit the
original email before you send it along - and, not everyone
needs your response. Remember their inboxes are just as full
as yours, so carefully consider whether you need to send your
reply to all of the original addressees.
Create an email labeling and filing system that works for you.
Mark your emails or the folders into which you file them with
the action you need to take (e.g., “Needs immediate reply,”
“Respond to by [Date],” “Needs action”).
Make sure your business emails are professional. Re-read the
email before you send it and correct spelling and grammar errors. Do not rely solely on “spell check”. One CREW Network
member told of the time that the autocorrect feature changed
her sentence which was supposed to read “I apologize for the
inconvenience” to read instead “I apologize for the incontinence,” and she hit the send button without reading through
the final message.
Assess whether the tone of the email can be perceived as rude.
Draft the greeting of your email appropriately and be respectful. As a general rule, do not insert smiley faces or other similar
“emoticons” in the email unless you know how the email will be
received, and avoid the use of abbreviations, which may be unfamiliar to the recipient. “Know your reader,” advised Laurence.
Hengle reported that her company recently held a well-received
email seminar for the staff. The seminar was led by the head of the
writing lab at a local university who taught employees email etiquette, techniques for effective email writing, and grammar rules.
No CREW Network member has decried the use of technology.
Managed properly, it helps us do our jobs more effectively. The
key, however, is to be more efficient about its use. As technology advances, learning techniques to manage it often seems as
important as learning the substantive aspects of our profession.
About the Author
Marcia Charney is Commercial Division Counsel for
Continental Title Company. As a practicing attorney,
she has specialized in commercial real estate for more
than 27 years. Marcia is the immediate Past President
of KC CREW and a member of the CREW Network Editorial Advisory
Committee.
8
Word from our President
Helen Duong, Boston Properties, LP
As we begin 2013 with a renewed sense of optimism, I am reminded of what our board, team leaders, and committees have
accomplished so far this year. From our sold-out events such as the January luncheon with well-renowned speaker and author,
Shaunti Feldhahn, to our Art, Champagne and Chocolate networking event, to our panel of experts on the Past, Present and
Future of Development in San Francisco, we have surpassed previous standards to reach record-breaking attendance!
For the past few months, the Board, team leaders, and committee members, deftly facilitated by Deborah Quok, Ann-Margaret
Vann and Ginger Bryant, have been working diligently to update our strategic plan with a new mission statement, new goals,
and objectives. Each committee is then tasked with establishing tactics for the next three to five years. Be on the lookout for
our new strategic plan in May 2013.
Thanks to our sponsorship committee’s efforts and to the generosity of our Sponsors, we have surpassed our sponsorship’s goals
for 2013. CREW SF will continue to strive to offer cutting-edge programs, leadership training, networking opportunities, and
special events. It is our goal for CREW SF to be recognized as an exemplary organization that develops and advances women
as leaders in the commercial real estate industry.
We are working hard on cultivating the CREW experience so that our members will get the most benefit from being a part of
our organization. I look forward to all the exciting programs and events that our Chapter has planned for the remainder of 2013.
Please contact me with ideas, suggestions, or questions. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Point of VIEW - The Male Factor
On January 16, 2013, CREW SF held its annual Leadership Luncheon at the San Francisco City Club. This year’s topic, Leadership:
The Unwritten Rules of Navigating the Workspace, was discussed by Shaunti Feldhahn, author of The Male Factor. Two CREW SF
members share their thoughts on this controversial topic. Join the conversation by looking for us on the new CREW SF blog. Look
for Member News under the Resources tab to express your “point of VIEW”! We look forward to hearing from you.
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of CREW SF or the CREW SF Editorial Team.
Point of VIEW - Donna Schumacher
In reading Shaunti Feldhahn’s book, The Male
Factor, I was most intrigued by the chapter entitled,
“The Visual Trap”, where Feldhahn puts forth the
supposition that provocative dress (revealing of a woman’s body)
is distracting to men due to their brain wiring and therefore
problematic in this foreign land of the male corporate world. As
a woman who grew up and lives in the United States, it is difficult
for me to believe that any issue regarding how a woman dresses is
quite that simple. Mixed messages rule the roost.
As an architect, I can easily attest to an implied understanding and
knowledge that what is considered provocative and distracting in
one profession can easily be completely appropriate in the next.
A gallery owner can easily wear patterns, low necklines, and highheeled shoes, and, in fact, is expected to do so, while architects
must wear black, bookish glasses and simple modernist and bold
jewelry, if any at all. Why? The gallery owner profession is conceived of as feminine by the male corporate world and architecture
is conceived of as masculine. So, why is it that the male brain is
wired differently when the person fulfills one role or another? Ah,
this is the influence of the male gaze, in other words, whether or not
the dress is somehow conceptualized as being “for them.”
As a long distance runner, I watched the 2012 London Olympics
transfixed. I am just old enough to marvel at the news media
Point of VIEW - Kirsten Fletcher
The whole premise of Shaunti Feldhahn’s The Male
Factor is that corporate business culture is built on
the male perspective and that women must learn
the language and subtle mechanics of this world in order to
succeed. The business world is not emotional, and any emotional
response could have serious consequences; anything that gives or
creates an uncontrollable response is a sign of unprofessionalism,
and could be a real problem.
For me, the three most remarkable theories delivered during the
presentation were that men want respect over love, and that they
prefer a gentle approach. (According to the book, when women
act like men, they often emphasize the worst traits and behaviors
that men project—the ones that men don’t respond well to when
other men exhibit these behaviors.) The third theory was the
distinction between work life and private life, as if they are two
different lives with different sets of rules—who knew?
The theory that was not covered in the presentation (but one
that is a distinct chapter in the book and that seems to be the
most controversial with respect to women’s freedom of choice) is
regarding dress. The author begins to introduce this theory, “The
Visual Trap”, by explaining that male brains are very different from
female brains. They are wired such that visual stimulation has a
truly visceral response that is chemical and uncontrollable, not like
(both VIEWs continued on page 11)
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CREW Connections
CREW Network is featuring CREW SF’s lead article from the
2013 1st Quarter of the VIEW in its nationally syndicated
“News You Can Use,” a service that makes articles available
for publishing by the local CREW Network chapters to
enhance their newsletters.
The selected article was entitled “Demographic, Economic
Trends Will Spur Ongoing Demand for MOB Space,”
written by Kirsten Fletcher and new CREW SF member,
Vincent Schwab, both from Marcus & Millichap Real Estate
Investment Services.
The article discusses the changing market for medical office
buildings due to the recent passing of the Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the changes to Medicare
coverage. We are proud to see our members promoted on a
national level through their CREW Connections.
CREW Network Foundation
Scholarship Applications Open
CREW SF Board member Jeanne Madden has recently been
hired at Boston Properties as Regional Controller. Madden
has been in the commercial real estate industry for 15 years
and worked with Catellus Development until 2006. In 2007,
she helped form Mission Bay Development Group, where she
served as Vice President of Financial Operations until 2012.
During a dinner party, President Helen Duong (Lease
Administration Manager with Boston Properties) encouraged
Madden to apply. One week later, Madden was interviewing,
and less than 6 weeks after the clandestine dinner party, she
was working in her new position! Madden shared that she
“never would have heard about the opening had it not been
for Helen and my association with CREW SF.”
Boston Properties owns the Embarcadero Center as well as
about 28 other operating properties on the Peninsula and
in the South Bay. In addition to developing 680 Folsom and
50 Hawthorne Streets, Boston Properties will be starting
construction soon on another tower in San Francisco and will
eventually develop, along with Hines, the Transbay Tower.
Do you have an idea for an article that would have national
interest and appeal? Submit a feature article to the VIEW today!
Application Deadline is April 26, 2013, 5:00pm CT
The CREW Network Foundation Scholarship Endowment
program is designed to encourage women to pursue an
education which will lead to a career in the commercial real
estate industry.
The scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic
excellence and are intended to help finance the educational
endeavors of female undergraduate and graduate students
enrolled in accredited real estate programs, or enrolled in other
fields of study with the intent to pursue a career in commercial
real estate. Each scholarship recipient will also be provided
with a paid internship at a commercial brokerage firm.
The number of awards will be determined based upon
the availability of interest income from the Endowment,
contributions, and matching corporate funds; the specific dollar
amount of each award will not be less than $5,000. Scholarships
are meant to help cover the costs of tuition and books. View
eligibility requirements at www.crewnetwork.org.
CREW Network Foundation is committed to bringing more
women into commercial real estate with programs that educate
women and girls about the career opportunities available to them
and creating mentoring relationships for those new to the industry.
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(Point of VIEW - Donna Schumacher continued from page 9)
(Point of VIEW - Kirsten Fletcher continued from page 9)
celebration of the female athlete—the strength, power, and
determination of these young women running the Women’s
Marathon, an event that did not exist before 1984. I am so excited
for a new generation of women to grow up simply assuming that it is
all possible. The television coverage occasionally held the camera
in slow motion on the strong legs of the athletes moving in unison.
Here are women’s bodies with a whole lot of skin for all the world to
see. And yet, the women’s marathon did not have ratings equivalent
to the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. Why? Because these
provocative women were not showing their skin for the male gaze,
for male corporate culture, or for some sense of allure. Their strong
powerful bodies were simply getting the job done.
an addiction, but like a primal fight-or-flight response. Suggestive
female clothing distracts from the ability to conduct business
with men, and men fail to remember approximately 25% of the
presentation content when distracted by a low-cut blouse. The
supporting data that the author has collected from Christian white
men and reported in the book is undeniable. Feldhahn states that
a woman can be extremely attractive, and if she’s not showing skin
or wearing really form-fitting clothing, then the following issues
are not relevant: men may perceive that a woman who wears
revealing clothing wants to be viewed sexually, that a woman
doesn’t belong in business, and that she’s “clueless.”
I watch The Good Wife as much as anyone, and like the visual
criticism geek that I am, listen to the director’s comments after the
show. For one episode, the director explained that with each season the main character, Alicia Florrick (the television version of Elizabeth Edwards minus breast cancer), will come into her own and this
will be exemplified by her sexuality, and therefore by her dress. As
Alicia gains power, her necklines will go down and her skirts will get
shorter and tighter. Of course, this television law office isn’t the real
world, but we have all read enough on contemporary culture to understand that the line is quite blurred. Our expectations are often
created on the silver screen.
On YouTube, I watched a video of a panel discussion regarding
the influence of the Great Recession on architecture in general
and women in particular. There was an impressive line of speakers:
one well-known architecture critic, two architects, and one developer with a substantial litany of accomplishments. The two architects wore pantsuits, large rimmed glasses, style-less hair, and flat
no-nonsense shoes. The developer wore a fitted red dress, had a
long head of coiffed brown hair, had skin exposed on her arms and
legs, and wore a pair of black high-heeled pumps. Guess who is
the highest wage earner and sits at the table of the major players
of New York City? She is smart, poised, and pretty, and I have no
doubt that her attractiveness is part of her success.
I recently attended a conference at California College of the Arts
regarding the percentage of women in architecture, and I was heartbroken by the statistics. While architecture schools have a happy
50/50 male-to-female matriculation rate, just a few years later at the
time of professional registration, this percentage drops to a devastating 18%, hence the title of the conference—“The Missing 32 Percent.” For the architectural field as a whole, the number of women
who remain in the field is a paltry 8%, and those in sole proprietorship is an awe-inspiring 1.5%. But I digress. The fun fact that I set
out to share with you is that once a firm gets past a certain magical
ratio of men to women (3:1) the numbers quickly shift much closer
to 1:1. Why? Could it be that once a certain tipping point ratio has
been met, the foreign land of male dominated corporate culture
has somehow been transformed into a neutral territory? Suddenly,
the guidelines advocated by male corporate culture are not THE
rules but just one voice among many.
Feldhahn also points out that there are women who have no idea
of the visual, visceral, and uncontrollable nature of the male brain.
My conclusion after reading her data is that if women want to be
taken seriously in business (in the current climate) they should
dress modestly. I’m not talking about a burqa. I am stating that
choosing to not show too much skin in the work place can only
support a woman’s career evolution. Now, the real question for
me is: Can men be trained to overcome their baser responses?
The data in the book suggests that they cannot. If I’m going to
wrap my words in subtlety, watch my physical and verbal responses
so that they are not misinterpreted as overly emotional or crazy,
drape my body in cloth, and honor the difference between the
two imaginary worlds that men have created for themselves, I want
an equal share of the business. Fair is fair. My perspective is that
sensitivity goes both ways.
Commercial Real Estate Women San Francisco
Hundreds of professionals with a
limitless supply of talent, motivation,
and spirit ready to make it happen.
Are you ready?
Visit our website to view upcoming events.
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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS
FOR RN FIELD, THE WORD IS...
2013 SPONSORS
PLATINUM
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COMMITMENT
Building Quality Relationships. Because our success tomorrow
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Working with RN Field is like having a champion for design on your team. We implement great design in innovative ways that satisfies everyone involved. From a sketch
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We are proud of our staff and confident in our abilities to execute complicated projects. Most of us have been working together for many years to create a company
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FOR MOHAWK GROUP, THE WORD IS...
SUSTAINABILITY
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MEDIA
We’re committed to actions, not just words. Did you know that Mohawk Group carpet
is up to 100% recyclable? According to survey results from Carpet America Recovery
Effort (CARE), the cumulative landfill diversion of used carpet is more than 2.3 billion
pounds. Through our ReCover program, Mohawk Group will recycle any carpet – no
strings attached. Sounds like a lot of work? We’ll take CARE of it! Mohawk Group will
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THE CREW SF COMMUNICATIONS
TEAM IS LOOKING FOR:
•
Feature Articles of all CREW related topics:
legal, real estate, architectural topics
considered. If you have an idea, even a little
germ of one, please send an email and start
a conversation. We are here to help you get
your voice out into the world.
•
CREW Connections and Successes: Just
tell us about your project from a CREW SF
referral, or your (or your shy friend’s) career
success, and we will do the rest. Our
staff writer will happily chat with you and
generate the article.
THE VIEW EDITORIAL STAFF:
Editor Donna Schumacher
Editorial Review Winnifred Ward
Amy Teutemacher
Contributers Marcia Charney
Tara Delaney
Helen Duong
Kirsten Fletcher
Tara Hardesty
Kim Havens
Elizabeth Leet Jackson
Donna Schumacher
Winnifred C. Ward
All submissions are subject to editing for clarity and
brevity, unless otherwise noted. ©2013 CREW SF.
Please send all ideas and articles to [email protected].
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